Chinese President Xi Jinping backs review of the COVID-19 pandemic after international pressure

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has backed a comprehensive international review of the COVID-19 pandemic in a sensational diplomatic win for Australia.

The powerful leader last night told the World Health Assembly his country supported the idea, but only after the pandemic was "brought under control".

It came as biotech Moderna announced promising human trial results for an experimental vaccine in the US, boosting hopes it could be available to the public by January.

The Morrison Government’s push for an independent inquiry into the deadly pandemic had been gaining momentum, with 116 countries signed on to co-sponsor a draft resolution put forward by the European Union that included a motion calling for the review.

In an address to the virtual session of 194 countries, Mr Xi defended China’s record on sharing information with the WHO, saying the country had "done everything in our power to support and assist countries in need."

He pledged $A3.2 billion in funds over two years to help the global COVID-19 fight and proposed continued "research into source and transmission routes of the virus ... led by WHO and conducted in (an) objective and impartial manner".

"This may not be the last time a major health emergency comes knocking at our door," he said.

"China supports the idea of a comprehensive review ... after it is brought under control."

Mr Xi said the virus "caught the world by surprise" and "I mourn for every life lost and express condolence for the bereaved families."

"The disease does not respect borders," he said.

"In China, after making painstaking efforts and enormous sacrifice we have turned the tide on the virus and protected the life and health of our people."

"When we have finally turned the page on this pandemic ... there must be a time to look back," he said.

"Now is not that time, now is the time for the international community to work in solidarity.

"Either we get through this pandemic together or we fail."

US President Donald Trumped tweeted his support of the push for a formal inquiry, retweeting an SBS post.

The EU resolution proposes that the independent evaluation should be initiated "at the earliest appropriate moment" and should, among other issues, examine "the actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic." WHO announced the coronavirus outbreak to be a global health emergency on Jan. 30, its highest level of alert. In the following weeks, WHO warned countries there was a narrowing "window of opportunity" to prevent the virus from spreading globally.

WHO officials, however, repeatedly described the transmission of the virus as "limited" and said it wasn’t as transmissible as flu; experts have since said COVID-19 spreads even faster. It declared the outbreak to be a pandemic on March 11, after the virus had killed thousands globally and sparked large epidemics in South Korea, Italy, Iran and elsewhere.

Xi said he also supported the idea of a comprehensive review of the global response to COVID-19.